Dump carts for use with lawn and garden tractors have been available to the the public for some time. Generally the dump cart is towed behind the tractor to carry such goods as dirt and tools from one part of the garden or lawn to another. Illustrative of such dump carts is U.S. Pat. No. 3,494,667 to Schlapman et al. These carts generally have a gox to carry the goods, a wheel set, an axle support and a drawbar to connect with the tractor to tow the cart. The box is mounted on an axle support which can pivot with respect to the wheels. Preventing this pivoting is a latch on the drawbar which engages with a latch catch on the box. Unfortunately their prior latches are relatively complicated and require several parts.
When the operator wishes to dump material out of the box, the latch is released and the box tips backward with most of the contents falling on the ground. Should the operator wish to completely empty the box, the tractor can be reversed to fully tip the cart. As the back edge of the box engages the ground, the dump cart is in effect turned upside down, emptying its contents on the ground.
However, this dumping process can damage the back edge of the box reducing its utility while the front end of the box remains substantially unscathed. Thus, it is possible to wear out a box on one side while another side remains essentially new.
The present invention obviates these problems by providing an uncomplicated latch mechanism. The present invention also allows the box to be reversed relative to the drawbar and wheels so that opposite sides of the box may be alternately used to engage the ground while the contents of the box are dumped out. This prolongs the useful life of the box as well as the dumping cart itself.